Encoding Chemistry - Green Chemistry in Biomimetric Nanoreactors (EnCode)

The project is aimed at DNA-programmed and encoded chemistry in discrete programmed lipid nanoreactors (PLNs) addressing atto- and zeptoliter volumes. Leakage free compartmentalization is a very fundamental design aspect in nature to control chemical reaction sequences spatially and temporally in all living organisms. The spatial segregation of chemical reactions ensures optimal conditions for the regulation of multi-step chemical or enzymatic cascade reactions in cellular environments. It has long been a dream of chemists and synthetic biologist alike to mimic, understand and monitor such multi-step processes on the single compartment level. The projects key impact would be to provide a green chemistry platform for aqueous combinatorial synthetic and enzymatic chemistry in ultraminiaturized format using only minute amounts of chemical building blocks or enzymes.